MSci/BSc Zoology

I chose to study at Exeter’s Cornwall Campus because I liked the field-based curriculum of the Conservation Biology and Ecology courses. My professors have all been very helpful, giving clear and interesting lectures and answering any questions that I or others have had. The Biology Department at Cornwall has been great at giving hands-on experience and demonstrating how skills will be used in the lab and in the field. I attended a Behaviour and Biodiversity field course in Northern Cyprus where I learned how to handle and mistnet birds. I also worked with a group of undergraduate students to develop and carry out an experiment on flower colour preference of native insects. It has also been very easy to get involved and help with research projects on campus. I have been able to assist postgraduate students by performing surveys for dormouse habitat preference and presence, dissecting and identifying skulls from owl pellets, and by recording data for the Tremough Moth Club.

I have really enjoyed being part of the Exeter student body. I am surrounded by people who share my enthusiasm for wildlife and conservation. Also, the societies and clubs on campus have kept my free time filled with exciting new experiences. I have joined societies for international students, the environment, horseback riding, kayaking, rock climbing, fencing, expeditions, and more. The location of the Cornwall Campus is excellent. Falmouth is a vibrant town with great music venues, restaurants, pubs, and loads of fun events throughout the year. I have been able to explore the beautiful coastline by walking and camping with the expedition society or taking a gallop on the beach with the horseback riding society. Falmouth is also great for water sports. Students can easily take a day off from studying to do things like sailing, diving, kayaking, or surfing. I have also loved the field-based Conservation Biology and Ecology course, I was out in the field at least once a week learning new skills. My professors kept the lectures interesting by giving recent research examples and explaining the work that goes on in the labs on campus.

Studying at Exeter has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in studying abroad.
Anne Winter, University of Southern Mississippi, studying Environmental Biology. Anne studied on the Cornwall Campus for the full academic year 2008/09.

The experience of studying abroad is one which has always fascinated me. It wasn't until I was boarding my plane to America and saying goodbye to my friends and family for the next 4 months that it finally hit home that I was going! On arrival I was met by the lovely people from the international office and taken to my halls. From then on, every day there got better and better. Studying marine biology has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and the number of courses offered was incredible. The experiences I had were unparalleled to anything that I have done in England - white water rafting, caving, even afternoons at the famous Myrtle Beach - all as part of my course! Outside of class I met some of the most amazing people and travelled all over the East Coast, spending an especially memorable Thanksgiving in Washington DC. It was without a doubt the best thing I could have done academically and set me in great stead for the second part of my degree.
Carrie-Anna Hurst